


Ray of Peace

by marikunin



Series: Sehnsucht [15]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Buddhism, Canon Autistic Character, Canon Character of Color, Canon Disabled Character, Canon Queer Character, F/F, F/M, Gen, Multi, Prequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-09-19 14:01:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9444314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marikunin/pseuds/marikunin
Summary: On a windy evening in 1960s Mongolia, the latest incarnation of the Avatar is born.





	1. Prologue: A Look Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The latest Air Avatar reflects on her too short life.

Enkhtuya's vision blurs as the car careens out of control and-

Avatar Deepak is standing before her. They are in the Spirit World, and Deepak's solemn gaze makes tears come to Enkhtuya's soft brown eyes. Enkhtuya herself was in traditional, yet comfortable yellow and orange robes from her homeland.

"Avatar Enkhtuya...we have much to discuss," the Hindu man says, "for the new Avatar is already on their way."

More tears slide from Enkhtuya's eyes down her cheeks. She is only 29 and already dead! She hadn't felt any pain. And her brother Arghun and her lover Osol! Where were they now? And the two White Lotus guards?

"You'll join your brother and your wife soon enough. Come with me."

He leads her across giant vines underneath a trio of blue suns, while spirits watch them from afar.

They approach a clearing where the past Avatars are all waiting for them. They watch a glowing sphere in the center of them, its view showing the Earth rotating in space. Then-a chaos filled street in Rwanda. Police and White Lotus people are swarmed around the wreckage of what used to be several cars. Reporters are filming from nearby.

It quickly flits across news channels-newspapers-people talking-radios playing-the Avatar is dead. Dead, dead, dead. People mourn. Enkhtuya hasn't realized-until now, that is-that so many people cared about her.

The world turns, and the globe stops over North America. It zooms in to the northeast coast. New York City. Into the borough known as Queens. A hospital at night.

A beautiful african american woman is in distress. A team of doctors surround her, while another team surrounds a too tiny baby.

"...she's so small..."

"3 months early. Her sister is due in about 7 minutes."

The baby that is Enkhtuya's sucessor is silent. She can barely see the newborn what with all the doctors helping her survive.

In the waiting room, a handsome european american man is with family. They are all praying.

"They're Christians...that's different."

Deepak cracks a smile. The last Christian Avatar had been Amparo, a devout Catholic who'd lived from the 1860s to 1910. Said Peruvian man raises his eyebrows as time progresses to several months later. The parents bring the tiny 4 month old Avatar home to a 9 minutes younger twin sister and an 8 year old older brother.

It is then that the past Avatars begin to go their separate ways. The new Avatar was safely home with her family. They even had a dog. Soon only Deepak, Enkhtuya and, not that surprisingly, Jesus remain. The ancient Air Avatar wipes Enkhtuya's remaining tears away and smiles.

"It's alright. I'll watch over her until is time for you to step in. I have plans for this one."

Enkhtuya nods, still a bit shell shocked. Deepak leads her to a place adjacent to the Spirit World where her brother and lover are waiting for her.

As she does, she thinks over her short but eventful life, and what legacy she barely had a chance to begin.


	2. Altars and Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enkhtuya is born and grows.

Enkhtuya came screaming into the world on a blustery October day in the steppes of Mongolia. The ger that consisted of her new home was warm. The smell of blood and sweat permeated the air. Sarnai leaned back against the blankets, exhausted but happy. The women-a midwife and her apprentice-coached her through pushing the afterbirth out. Her husband Altan and 4 year old son Arghun were in a nearby ger waiting on news of their new daughter and sister.

Outside, the winds stopped and sunlight poured through the skylight at the top of the ger.

"How calming. This baby is blessed, I'm sure of it."

Sarnai looked down at the newly washed infant in her arms suckling eagerly at her breast. A ray of peace...

"Enkhtuya. How do you like that name?"

The child didn't reply, preoccupied with the colostrum flowing into her mouth.

"Yes, I think Enkhtuya is a perfect name for my sweet baby girl."

The woman bent to kiss the wisps of black hair on Enkhtuya's head.

~

Enkhtuya was a happy child. The world, albeit confusing at first, had settled into a routine the baby could understand. Her needs were always taken care of by the two large beings. One had soft hands and the other had a deep voice. They always knew to help Enkhtuya stay happy.

If she was bored, they'd comfort her. If she felt dirty, they cleaned her. If she was hungry, they'd feed her. There was a smaller creature as well. This one confused Enkhtuya most of all. It was loud and smelled weird and liked to look at her inside her home. Once it even stretched its body to look real close at her. Then it knocked over her home, and Enkhtuya began to wail.

The creature with the soft hands-"mom", Enkhtuya heard the smaller one call her-then came rushing over and chased the smelly creature away and fixed Enkhtuya back up in her home. She really liked her mom. The other large creature-"dad"-later held Enkhtuya close and let her feel a big thump thump against his chest. It lulled her to sleep. It was familiar.

Eventually though, mom and dad sat down with her and the smelly one. This creature-mom and dad called him "Arghun"-was far gentler this time. He slid a finger against one of Enkhtuya's hands and she gripped it. He didn't smell as much this time, or maybe she was getting used to the smell.

Arghun smiled wide at her, talking as softly as he could. Enkhtuya stared, trying to make sense of what he was saying. He kept saying one word over and over.

"Brother."

Bro...ther?

Enkhtuya let out a coo as she went to put her brother's finger in her mouth, causing the boy to laugh at the feeling of wet gums against his skin.

As time passed, Enkhtuya slowly realized her home wasn't a home. It was the structure around the box she had been in. It was huge, and had all kinds of things she wanted to put in her mouth. But mom and dad had toys for her alone. One was fun to mouth on, another made noises when Enkhtuya shook it, and yet another was soft and was her friend.

There was something Enkhtuya noticed after a little while longer. There was always wind around her mom, dad and brother. They could make breezes with their arms and her brother often used it to play. Enkhtuya wanted to do it too. She couldn't do much with her arms yet, but that didn't deter her. Sometimes her parents would blow on what she assumed was their food. She could do that much.

"Look Mom! Enkhtuya's airbending!"

Enkhtuya didn't know what this "airbending" was, but it was awfully fun to see her toy that made noises float in the air. It made even more noise as it flew.

It would turn out that Enkhtuya had only been a few months old when she first airbent her toy. But then she began to get sleepy and let her toy fall outside her box. Her box was so soft.

Eventually, Enkhtuya was able to move a bit on her own. She loved to roll over on the floor blanket, her brother imitating her until their dad told him to stop.

Soon, she learnt to crawl. Oh, what a world that opened up to her! Unfortunately her parents didn't see it that way. So many interesting things were snatched away before she could properly taste them, and she would inevitably be put back in her box. At least it was larger than before.

What Enkhtuya didn't understand was the "outside". The place her family lived in was "home" but there was an opening called a "door" at one end leading to a place called "outside". Her parents would take turns going out there as would her brother Arghun. She was never left alone, though. Sometimes her parents took her outside though. There were large creatures there, even larger than her dad. They had fronds coming from their heads and were white and silver all over. Once, dad held her up to let one of the long faced things sniff her. She tried to put her hand in its nose and got slimy clear stuff all over her hand. Laughing, her dad had then taken her away and cleaned her hand off.

By the time she began to stand, Enkhtuya felt the air all around her. It was like a comforting friend, inside her body as well as out. Now she could move her arms some, and when she was outside small flying creatures would do the same. She copied them, and they would communicate by sending small breezes at each other. They were Enkhtuya's friends.

Time passed, and Enkhtuya began walking and talking on her own. This was when her family moved their ger along with the change in seasons. It was getting colder. Enkhtuya wanted to help pack up the house, but she wasn't allowed to do more than carry one of her toys. Arghun was able to help pack their things on their animals just because he was older. It wasn't fair; Enkhtuya could help too! But when she tried to load some of the pillows onto the nearest donkey, her mother stopped her.

They moved to another part of the steppes and her parents along with some of Enkhtuya and Arghun's older cousins, since the whole extended family moved together. Meeting her extended family taught Enkhtuya that not everyone could airbend. Some people, according to her parents, could bend water, earth or fire. There was even a person who could bend all four elements called the Avatar. Enkhtuya had several relatives that couldn't bend at all though. She wondered what it was like to not feel the air as an extension of yourself. It didn't seem to effect her family members otherwise; they loved her and she loved them and that was all that mattered.

The first few years passed quietly; her family would move four times a year and rebuild their home from the ground up. Enkhtuya began to learn airbending from her parents, who had tattoos denoting their mastery of the element. One day she would get tattoos as well. So would her brother, though most likely before Enkhtuya as he was five years older.

It was springtime when Altan and Sarnai introduced a four year old Enkhtuya to the altar in the center of their ger. By now, Enkhtuya had her own cot and slept on one side of the ger with her mom. Her father and brother slept on the other side.

She was learning the customs of her people now. She could never step on the threshold of the home. Pointing was rude; use an open palm instead. The bag hanging on the inside of the front door was to ward off evil spirits. And the altar in their home was where they would meditate and pray.

Enkhtuya was taught to feed the bodhisattva statues, listened to her parents recite mantras and recite a repentance phrase. She was told about the five precepts, which were the foundation of all Buddhists lives.

1) Harm no living thing

2) Don't take that which doesn't belong to you

3) Avoid sexual misconduct

4) Don't lie or gossip

5) Avoid intoxicating substances like drugs or alcohol

The third and fifth ones confused Enkhtuya, but Altan explained that the third was like if he began kissing women that weren't Enkhtuya's mom or vice versa. The fifth one he explained by saying that there were things one could eat or drink that'd make them act weird, but since Enkhtuya was a kid she didn't have to worry about that.

Meditating was something her parents did, as well as her brother albeit to a lesser extent. Sitting still in front of the altar looked so boring. When she squirmed, Sarnai advised that she try to focus on her breathing and the air. That worked...for about five seconds. Enkhtuya loved feeling the air, but not bending it? What a waste!

She preferred to go outside and dance in the wind. To play with the reindeer, and ride along with her brother on his homemade glider. (She was still too young to have her own.) Her parents were also teaching her how to read, write and count.

When Enkhtuya was seven, Sarnai got pregnant again. Nine months were spent eagerly waiting for a new baby brother or sister, and she was delighted to be able to watch her mother give birth. Until she, yknow, actually saw her mother give birth. Enkhtuya didn't know her eyes could get so wide at what she saw that night. But at the end, the five of them-her, mom, dad, Arghun, and her new baby sister-were together while it snowed outside.

Narantsetseg was all red and wrinkly and **loud**. Enkhtuya complained of this, and Arghun laughed. The twelve year old rustled Enkhtuya's forever messy hair and said she had been the same when she was born, but Enkhtuya was skeptical. There was no way she smelled as bad as Narantsetseg did when she soiled herself. This was when she began to see the wisdom in meditation. When her head was hurting from her baby sister crying, she would sit in front of the altar and breathe.

The only time she felt more at peace was when she was flying on her own glider. It was a gift for her 7th birthday. The clouds went by in endless patterns, and Enkhtuya felt truly free. 


	3. Ink From the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enkhtuya gets her airbending tattoos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was halfway through this chapter when I realized they'd be using the metric system...

Seven years went by. Arghun, Enkhtuya and Narantsetseg grew. Arghun gained his tattoos while Narantsetseg turned out to be a nonbender. Enkhtuya continued to learn airbending, and all three siblings became conversationally fluent in Russian when their family brought a television for their home.

Enkhtuya learned about communism, and how not every country was managed by such rules. The United States of America, for example, was capitalist. A few countries even still had monarchies. Enkhtuya became very interested in the economy and politics as she grew, though she never let it get in the way of her daily chores. Narantsetseg, on the other hand, got very into their faith as Buddhists. She meditated more often than any of them, even their own parents. Arghun had only just begun to consider moving out. At 19 with his airbending tattoos, he was fully considered a man. But he kept saying that he felt like his destiny wanted him to stay with his family.

At 14 years old, Enkhtuya had grown tall. She hit the one meter mark and then gained another few centimeters, leaving her at a respectable 163 centimeters. Her father was around 170 centimeters and her mother only 150 centimeters. Arghun, on the other hand, was 183 centimeters. They still weren't sure where all the height came from. He towered over all of their relatives. (Narantsetseg was only 112 centimeters but then again she was only seven.)

The air was getting cooler as summer waned. As she gazed at the sky, Enkhtuya stared at her bare hands. Occasionally one of her cousins would earn their airbending tattoos, and the whole extended family would dip into their stock of dried blue wildflowers. They'd take several days to grind into powder, then a day or so to be converted into ink. The lucky young man or woman had to shave all over, and then...Enkhtuya didn't know. Those of her family who weren't masters weren't allowed into the airbending ger. It was only used for inking new airbending masters and thus was not often set up. Right now it was in several piles of equipment scattered throughout the extended family's respective homes.

Enkhtuya wanted her tattoos. She wanted them badly. She was 14, sure, but there had been younger airbending masters. So what if Enkhtuya chose to take her time learning the 36 airbending tiers? She wanted to make sure she could do each move in her sleep before moving onto the next tier.

But now...it had been six months since she figured out the 36th airbending tier. It involved creating and manipulating vacuums. Enkhtuya was ready for her tattoos. And yet...

"Enkhtuya! Stop watching the birds and come inside! Dad got the tv switched to color!"

"Oh wow, really?"

Enkhtuya stood up from where she had been sitting. The reindeer she had been leaning against looked up at her with soft doleful eyes. Enkhtuya smiled, giving one last friendly stroke between the reindeer's antlers before going to rejoin her family inside. It was getting dark soon, anyway.

"Wow, it really is in color."

The tv was showing a russian newscaster telling the news. He had a newspaper open and was reading it aloud. It wasn't like everyone could go to the city and buy newspapers. Enkhtuya and her family lived too far away. Sure, they had gone once when she was a kid but that was to attend a wedding of one of her mother's childhood friends.

Sarnai turned the channel from the national news to the regional news. They had five channels, two of them being news related. Another channel had urban news and entertainment, yet another had news from another city, and the last-Enkhtuya's favorite-had cultural documentaries and educational programs.

Currently, the tv anchorman was talking about the weather. The autumnal equinox was coming; it was a sacred day for airbenders all over the world. Enkhtuya hoped that she'd get her tattoos then. It would be a perfect time. But would they listen to her? She hadn't even brought it up yet...

"Hey Enkhtuya," Narantsetseg said, "When are you going to get your airbending tattoos? You're a master now, right?"

Enkhtuya started, wondering not for the first time if her little sister could read minds.

"Uh, yeah, mom and dad said I was a master now. As for the tattoos, uh..."

"Your mother and I," Altan said, putting down his cup of tea, "Have been talking about that. We didn't tattoo you right away because we were in the middle of moving, and because your cousin Batbayar just got his and the stock of powder we had was low. But we picked wildflowers this spring and summer."

"I remember."

That day had been fun. Aside from picking flowers, Enkhtuya, Narantsetseg and several of their cousins played together in the fields. It had been one of the last times Enkhtuya had actually felt like playing like...well, like a kid.

"Well...I was just thinking about my tattoos today, actually," Enkhtuya began, still putting her thoughts together, "And I think I'm ready."

"We think you are too. The autumnal equinox is coming up. It would be very auspicious for you to get your tattoos on that day as well. How about it?"

Enkhtuya couldn't stop the wide smile that spread across her face at her mother's words.

"Yes! Definitely! As soon as possible!"

They laughed at the young girl's enthusiasm, a staple of airbending society whether one could bend or not. When Enkhtuya turned in for bed that night, she had some trouble sleeping. But it would still be another week and a half before the equinox came. For now, she could rest.

~

The autumnal equinox was here. Technically. It was midnight and Enkhtuya was awake. She had just eaten a full breakfast, as she would only have a few breaks during the tattoo session, mostly to use the lavatory.

Sarnai was standing behind her daughter, cutting her long black hair off. A bowl of shaving cream and a new razor was ready for shaving her skull and the rest of her body.

Enkhtuya felt butterflies in her stomach. She had been waiting for this day all her life. Now that it was here, she didn't know how to feel. This would mark her as a woman among airbender, yet she was only 14. Nowhere near ready for marriage or a family. Then again, the boys around her (that she wasn't related to, of course) weren't very captivating. Her mother kept saying she would start noticing them soon, but she was 14. How much longer would it take?

"There. Ready to start shaving."

At this, Enkhtuya was given the razor and allowed to do it herself. Her mother took another razor out of the plastic packaging and had her daughter take off her shirt as there were tiny hairs on her back that needed to be gotten rid of.

It took about an hour to get everything off, but she still had her eyebrows. Her skin felt strange without the tiny hairs she had taken for granted. She kept rubbing her scalp.

Her mother handed her a hat as she got dressed before the two went outside. A path of blue wildflowers (a surplus from that summer) lead from their ger to the tattooing structure. Two or three other women would be there as well as her mother. Together, they'd complete Enkhtuya's tattoos in one day.

The atmosphere inside the ger seemed sacred. There was even an altar of the buddha at one end, right in the line of sight where Enkhtuya would be sitting. She was to contemplate their religious teachings to help numb the pain. One woman had a record player with monks chanting. It would play on repeat throughout the day until the inking was finished.

Enkhtuya stripped down to her underwear and sat in the chair. She had already rubbed herself down with sandalwood soap, reminded of how Arghun had smelled of it several years back when he earned his tattoos.

"Are you ready, Enkhtuya?"

She only nodded. The small buddha statue stared back at her with half lidded eyes. Truthfully, she always thought that it looked half asleep. Not that she would tell anyone that, especially not the devout Narantsetseg.

As the oldest of the group, Granny Gerel got to paint the guidelines for her arrows. She was nearing 90, but still could see just fine and possessed a steady hand unlike her arthritic husband Ganzorig.

The lines were thin, interspaced occasionally with diamonds partway through said paths. It had to do with how an airbender's chi flowed, Enkhtuya recalled her father teaching her.

Her mother did the first needle poke, right at the center of her forehead. She forced herself not to wince while one of the women put on the record to play.

Time passed slowly, with two women taking either arm while her mother did her forehead and the back of her neck. Granny Gerel had left to go rest; she would return at the end of the day to say a blessing over the newly inked Enkhtuya.

Occasionally, her mother or one of the other women would wipe away excess ink or blood as they poked the needle through her skin, but other than that there wasn't much divergence in activity. The mantras playing on the record player seemed to slowly become a part of her as much as the ink was. Enkhtuya closed her eyes and let the chanting vibrate throughout her body. Soon, she hardly felt any pain at all.

As the day went on, the sounds of daily activity were heard faintly from outside. When Enkhtuya had to use the lavatory, she had to be helped into a robe as her body was starting to fall asleep from staying in the same position for so long.

After taking a quick food break (some reindeer jerky and yaks milk) they resumed the inking. Enkhtuya felt more and more disconnected from everything after each break, as if she was becoming part of the air with every drop of ink that went under her skin. She wondered if this tranquil feeling was what Narantsetseg felt like when she meditated. It would certainly explain why she did it so often. Her parents often wondered if she had been a monk or nun in her past life, or even a bodhisattva. It wouldn't have surprised Enkhtuya if her sister was the Avatar had she been born a bender.

Enkhtuya eventually felt her thoughts cease altogether. She had been imagining her ancestors being tattooed in this way for millennia, only with live chanting instead of a record player. She was honored to join them.

"And...done."

Enkhtuya opened her eyes and looked down at her hands. They had blue on them now. As did her head, back, arms, legs and feet. She slowly began to smile as she moved to get up.

"Whoa..."

She stumbled, only for her mother to catch her.

"Careful, now."

Sarnai immediately helped her daughter to stand as the other two women rubbed sacred oil all over Enkhtuya. Granny Gerel stepped in, having heard the record playing stop. She recited an ancient blessing before (gently) hugging Enkhtuya.

"Congratulations, Master Enkhtuya."

This was when Enkhtuya finally felt the tears of joy well up in her eyes.


	4. The White Lotus Arrives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enkhtuya is told she is the newest Avatar.

"Enkhtuya, its time to get up!"

"Mmm...five more minutes..."

"But its your BIRTHDAY!!!"

Narantsetseg jumped onto Enkhtuya's covers, knocking the wind out of her. The newly sixteen year old pushed her nine year old sister off of her, rolling her eyes as Narantsetseg shook with laughter. Enkhtuya responded by throwing a pillow at her.

"It doesn't matter; we celebrated it back during the Lunar New Year, remember?"

"I know, but we're still having a little party for you. And mom said I could give you my present now!"

"Oh, you got me a present? That's sweet."

"Of course I did!"

The spiritually inclined girl reached underneath her own cot to pull out a messily wrapped package. It was clearly some kind of book despite the extra wrapping paper and tape.

"Did you make the wrapping paper yourself?"

"Mom and dad had some extra, and I drew on it. See? That's you airbending."

"I see," Enkhtuya said as she began opening it painfully slow, "And is that you?"

"Yes. And there's mom and dad and Arghun, and our guard dogs, and the reindeer..."

"Mmhm."

Enkhtuya put the handmade wrapping paper aside and looked at the book. It was thick and still had a used bookstore price sticker on the cover.

"'The Applications of Mongolian Buddhism in Regards to Airbending: Beyond the 36 Tiers'? This is...do you even understand what the title means?"

"Not really. But it mentioned buddhism and airbending so I figured you'd like it."

Enkhtuya chuckled as she flipped through the book. It had plenty of pictures-well, informational diagrams really-but even more words. Honestly Enkhtuya still thought Narantsetseg should go to the fancy school in Ulaan-Bataar but their parents said they wanted to wait until she was a bit older before sending her. Plus they needed to save up the tuition money.

"This is really nice, Narantsetseg. Thanks."

The two girls hugged before the elder went to go wash up. Her family was still doing their daily routine. The actual celebration wouldn't be until the evening and would only involve her parents, brother and sister. But because it was her birthday, Enkhtuya could spend the day with her horse (nicknamed Red) and on her airbending glider. A perfect day, as far as she was concerned.

As Enkhtuya went outside after breakfast, she breathed deep.

"Perfect flying weather."

She went to where the horses were kept. Red, a lovely reddish brown mare, nickered in greeting as her human friend came to her.

"Hello, girl. It's my birthday today."

Enkhtuya stroked the mare's nose, smiling as the equine closed her eyes in contentment.

"Want me to braid your mane?"

Red's warm breath tickled her cheeks. The next half hour was spent braiding some ribbons into her horse's mane and tail. Giving her a carrot as well as her usual bowl of feed, she went to fetch her glider. Enkhtuya would fly some and, when Red's stomach settled, would go riding around their group of ger. By the time she was done it'd be lunch time, Enkhtuya estimated. Then the family would do the remaining chores, spend some time watching television together, then have dinner and celebrate Enkhtuya's 16th birthday.

Enkhtuya's glider was handmade, of course. All gliders were, at least the ones Enkhtuya had seen. Maybe in other countries they mass produced them, but she found the very idea abhorrent. Where would your name be carved? Where would the traditional blessings go? And one grew! An airbender had to know (or be) a decent woodsmith in order to practice their art to the fullest.

Her glider was fitted to her specific height and weight. Traditional symbols meant to bestow blessings were carved delicately into the wood, and the wind flaps were a lovely shade of saffron with yellow chrysanthemums serving as a pattern.

Opening her glider with airbending, Enkhtuya took a running start before taking off.

"Whoo hoo!"

She did a loop de loop, then flipped to stand on her glider and use it as a pseudo surfboard. Enkhtuya had seen the move on the television once and thought it was brilliant. It took her only a day or two to figure out, but then again she had been at the 34th tier of airbending at the time.

As usual, some birds joined Enkhtuya as she flew. They tended to flock to her as well as any other airbenders. After all, they shared airbending across species. There were even animals that bent water, earth and fire.

'Bending is so great...'

Looking down, Enkhtuya saw her sister playing with some of their cousins around the same age.

'But nonbenders are great too.'

She flipped over again to fly traditionally, a move that had taken her a few weeks to figure out. The first several times she had crashed into so many bales of hay...

Enkhtuya felt her stomach grumbling. Lunch, already? Time always flew by when she was using her glider. The girl snickered at the unintentional pun she had just made.

Swooping down, Enkhtuya landed smoothly near her family's ger. The two guard dogs at the front wagged their tails at the sight of her.

"Hey, you two. Being good guard dogs?"

Enkhtuya laughed as they gave her free hand a friendly lick before she went inside.

"Hey mom, I'm back-"

Looking up, Enkhtuya saw her mother and father sitting with three strangers. One was a older woman from India, her graying hair only making her look more graceful. Another was a monk wearing the robes of the one monastery still up and running in Ulaan-Bataar, and the third was a severe looking Russian man in a western suit.

Five cups of tea were steaming on the small dinner table, and Sarnai was pouring a sixth.

"...what's going on?"

"Enkhtuya, you should sit down."

The teenager put her glider on top of her cot before sitting down next to her mother. She noticed that the woman's hands were trembling. Looking at her father, Enkhtuya saw that he had a look that was very similar to when he'd gotten that stomach flu a few years ago.

"Hello Enkhtuya," the monk said, "I'm Brother Hulagu from the monastery in Ulaan-Bataar. This is-"

"I can introduce myself," said the russian man in heavily accented Mongolian, "I am Alyosha Popov."

"And I'm Priya Acharya," the indian woman added but with much less of an accent, "It is so wonderful to finally meet you, Enkhtuya."

"It's nice to meet you, too...um...but why are you all here?"

The three exchanged looks, before her mother spoke.

"Enkhtuya, sweetie, these people are here because...well..."

Sarnai's hands were shaking again.

"Mom, are you okay?"

The woman gave her daughter a shaky smile.

"Of course, Enkhtuya, I'm just fi-"

"Enkhtuya," her father suddenly said in a tone that betrayed his turbulent emotions, "These people are here because they believe you're the Avatar."

Enkhtuya nearly dropped her tea cup.

"W...what?"

"We don't just think that," Alyosha said, "We know she is."

"How?"

Enkhtuya's voice sounded far away. Everything seemed far away, actually.

"Enkhtuya, when you were a girl you went to Ulaan-Bataar for a family friend's wedding. Remember what you did on the day before we left?"

"Um..."

The girl scrunched up her face. She had only been seven at the time, but she faintly recalled standing in a long line of children all around her age, and a room filled with random objects.

"Sort of?"

"Enkhtuya, you were tested along with thousands of other Mongolian airbending children. Of all of them, and the nearly one billion airbenders worldwide only you selected items belonging to previous Avatars."

Now she remembered. So many items, but in the end she had chosen a ratty old diary and an aged gauntlet that had taken up her entire arm.

"Those items belonged to past Avatars. Avatars Menucha and Guntram, respectively."

"I knew those items were old, but not THAT ol-wait, wait, wait, so you're saying that-that I'm-the A...the A..."

She couldn't seem to get the word itself out.

"Drink your tea," Priya said, "It'll calm you down."

As one, Altan, Sarnai and Enkhtuya took a long sip of tea. They breathed out, and a light wind rustled everyone's clothes.

"Enkhtuya, you were born just a few days after Avatar Deepak's death. My husband," Priya continued, and only now did Enkhtuya see the plain gold band on her left ring finger, "was a good man. Was a good Avatar, despite the many ways this world tried to keep him down."

"So...uh, Alyosha, right? Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"I'm an atheist, but I don't see why that matters."

"Well," Enkhtuya said, drawing out the word, "the rest of us all do. I just didn't want to talk and make you feel left out."

Priya's eyes softened at the teen girl's words.

"You have his kind spirit. All the Avatars before him, too..."

Enkhtuya blushed. The realization that in her past life she'd been a married man. That she had been a person of every conceivable gender several times over, that she was the...the...

"I feel funny..."

Her vision tunneled, and Enkhtuya swooned over.

~

"Enkhtuya? Enkhtuya, baby? Can you hear me?"

"Uhh...what happened?"

Her parents were looking down at her, concerned.

"Oh, hey mom and dad...I just had this wild dream..."

The girl sat up, rubbing her head.

"In it, some people came over and told me I was..."

She turned to see Alyosha, Priya and Hulagu watching her from the dinner table.

"...it wasn't a dream..."

Altan frowned.

"I'm afraid not."

She let out a low, long groan of distress. Usually she only used it during her monthlies when the cramps were particularly bad. From the expressions on her parents faces, they knew that too.

"Okay. Okay. Okay. I'm...I'm...I'm the A-Avatar."

She shuddered as she said it, even though now she felt a great sense of relief at doing so.

Enkhtuya got up from her cot and sat back down at the table as did her parents.

"How long was I out?"

"Only a few minutes. But you nearly knocked over the table so we moved you to your cot."

"Oh."

The silence was broken by Priya reaching over and gently squeezing Enkhtuya's hands. Their skin tones contrasted beautifully.

"Do you have any questions, dear?"

Enkhtuya bit her lip before answering.

"Does...does this mean I'll have to leave my family?"

"Well, you have a few days to adjust to the idea, say your goodbyes and so on, but...yes. Ultimately, you do. The world needs its Avatar."

"Oh."

Priya frowned at the tears that dripped down onto her and the new Avatar's hands.

"I'm sorry about all this," Priya said, "But this is how its always been done. With the Avatars we managed to find and train, anyway."

"I-I know. I mean-everyone k-knows, everyone grows up hearing stories of the A-Avatar, but...I never...I never thought..."

"It's okay. You can let it out."

Enkhtuya shook as she began to cry. Her parents immediately took their girl into their arms to comfort her while Priya let go of her hands.

"We can see you need some time to take this in. We'll be staying nearby, at..."

Alyosha's words faded away as Enkhtuya let her sorrows flow. It didn't matter. All she knew now was that her life would never be the same.

~

A few days later, Enkhtuya was headed to Ulaan-Bataar with Priya, Alyosha and Hulagu. She would go to the White Lotus center there and be aided in choosing her bending teachers in the other three elements. Enkhtuya wasn't allowed to take any worldly possessions with her beyond her glider, her horse Red, and a photo of her family taken the previous summer. The one article of clothing she was allowed to keep was a hat her parents had made for her. It was made of reindeer fur and dyed airbender yellow. She also had the book Narantsetseg had gotten her, since it related to Avatar training.

Currently, she was in a car-only the third time in her life-while Red was towed behind them in a small livestock trailer. The car ride was mainly spent in silence. Priya had said that after they picked her bending teachers in advance, she'd be announced to only the world leaders and spiritual masters. She wouldn't be announced to the world until she mastered the Avatar State. For safety reasons, obviously. And Red had to stay in Ulaan-Bataar due to international trade laws, but she could visit her homeland at least twice a year.

Before she left, Arghun had said to look at it as an adventure. He had immediately decided to apply to join the White Lotus, in the hopes of being able to accompany his sister on her journey. Ordinarily it'd take months or years, but because he was the brother of the current Avatar he'd likely join Enkhtuya within a few weeks. At least she didn't have to leave everyone.

Closing her eyes, Enkhtuya pretended she was in front of the altar at home with her family. Narantsetseg would be dutifully reciting some mantra or another while her parents appeared just as devout. She and Arghun, however, would spend a good portion of the time making faces at each other. She smiled at the memories.

No, Enkhtuya wouldn't be alone after all.


	5. Change by the Kremlin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enkhtuya begins to learn waterbending and figures out something important about herself.

"Your Eminence, it is time to get up. We've arrived in Moscow."

Enkhtuya opened her eyes, wiping away the sleep from them. The four day train trip from Ulaan-Bataar to Moscow was finally over. And she was glad for it too. She was getting cabin fever. Well, train fever.

As her escort, the young Avatar was being accompanied by several plain clothed White Lotus members tasked to protect her with their lives. They were to go to Moscow's White Lotus headquarters, then to the residential area on said grounds. Enkhtuya's cover was that she was a foreign exchange student from Ulaan-Bataar. They had false papers and everything. Though they had come from authentic sources, so were they fake authentic papers? Real false identity?

"Your Eminence?"

"Coming!"

The White Lotus member that Enkhtuya had spent the majority of her time with was a nonbender from Switzerland named Helena. She could speak five languages (Swiss, Russian, Mongolian, English and Dutch) and was trained in at least three forms of self defense. However, Helena had said she wasn't allowed to share too much with Enkhtuya for her own safety. Thankfully, she also had several books that Enkhtuya could peruse, so most of the trip was spent reading. And staring out the window. And sleeping, she couldn't forget sleeping.

As they entered a public car, Helena's demeanor shifted ever so slightly. Her cover was very close to her actual mission. The Order of the White Lotus helped to promote and maintain peaceful relations between nations, so foreign exchange students often were sent abroad through the organization.

Enkhtuya held her small suitcase up to her chest as she and Helena exited the train proper. The station was full of people going to and fro, and Enkhtuya was thankful for Helena's bright blond hair. It stood out in a sea of dark haired people, including her own. They walked past restaurants and convenience stores, heading out to a parking lot.

"There's our ride."

They approached a surly looking Russian man with a bushy moustache, and Helena switched from Mongolian to Russian. Not that Enkhtuya couldn't understand. But all the two did was exchange greetings before Helena motioned for Enkhtuya to follow. The car that was to serve as their transport to the White Lotus headquarters was a plain black car that Helena informed her was a VAZ-2101 Zhiguli. It didn't stand out to Enkhtuya at all.

"Put on your seatbelt," Helena said to her as she went to the passengers side. The grumpy Russian man-named Boris-got into the driver's seat. Enkhtuya followed her instructions. This was only her fourth time in a car, but she was rapidly growing used to it.

As soon as the last door closed, Helena resumed the demeanor she'd had on the train in their private car. That is, ridiculously respectful.

"Your Eminence-"

"It's Enkhtuya. Your Eminence is so...uppity."

The Avatar saw Helena scowl from the reflection in her window.

"Honestly, I don't see the need for them either but I don't want to get written up for not showing proper respect to the world's Avatar. Boris knows what I mean, right Boris?"

The man grunted as he turned the car around a street corner.

"So, here's the game plan. We go to White Lotus Headquarters, get you settled in. Then you have a few days to get used to the place, before starting waterbending lessons this coming Monday. The Grand Lotus just transferred over from one of Avatar Ahurewa's descendants by the way. Man just died, so we had to pick a new one. Thankfully, its someone you've already met. Remember Priya Acharya? Avatar Deepak's wife?"

Enkhtuya beamed.

"She's the new Grand Lotus? That's so cool!"

"It was an unanimous decision by the council. My mother is on said council, by the way."

"How long does a Grand Lotus stay a Grand Lotus, anyway?"

"Usually? For life, or until they can't perform their duties. We had a few rotten ones in the White Lotus history books, though. That's why they can be...impeached, if you will. But that rarely ever happens. Last time was in the 1400s."

"Oh."

"We did our best to find a teacher that you could relate to, so they're someone just a few years older than you."

"Really? That's so thoughtful of you guys. I-ooh, is that the heaquarters? Its different than the one in Ulaan-Bataar. I mean, its the same color scheme, but..."

"I know," Helena smiled, "Its ubiquitously Russian, isn't it? Not like the traditional Mongolian style of Ulaan-Bataar's headquarters. Each nation's capital that we have a headquarters in reflects their culture, so we figured that our buildings should reflect each culture too. Since we are beyond the divisions between nations."

"Like me!"

Helena laughed and Boris smiled briefly.

"Yes, like you."

~

Aside from the outside, the inside of the headquarters was similar to Ulaan-Bataar's. There were mostly people of the local variety working, talking, or walking to a place they had to work or talk. Unlike Ulaan-Bataar's chapter, however, the Moscow chapter was much larger. It also obviously had a higher budget in its shiny wood flooring and modernized waiting area. Some children (probably of the employees there) were watching cartoons on the television here. Feeling a twinge of homesickness specifically for her baby sister, Enkhtuya followed Helena into a back corridor. (Boris had gone to park the car and then to do other, unrelated errands.)

As soon as they entered this back corridor, the generic music playing over the speakers stopped.

"Most of the White Lotus-98% of it, actually-doesn't know who you are. To most of them, you're just another foreign exchange student. Hell, the world only knows you're a 16 year old airbender from Asia. The only time we'd mention the Avatar's birth nation is if it was the first time said nation produced an Avatar. Otherwise, just the continent."

"Right..."

Most of the back corridors consisted of offices. Storage rooms. A break room with some vending machines and a microwave. One room had a woman nose deep in a giant book with weathered pages. More offices.

"Heading outside again, here comes the wind."

Enkhtuya blinked rapidly as a gust blew her hair from her face. She twisted her hand a few times to shield herself and Helena from the worst of it though, for which the woman was grateful.

"Thanks. That shock gets downright lethal during winter, and the Soviet Union is famous for its winters. Though you already knew that, growing up in the Mongolian People's Republic."

"It's alright; I'm used to winter. Plus since I'm an airbender it doesn't really bother me. Redistributing temperature and all."

"Right. So, here's the residential area."

These buildings were much more modest. Tiny houses or giant apartments, Enkhtuya couldn't decide which suited them more. They walked to a building labeled 416. Helena took out a key and opened the door.

"This is your home for as long as it takes for you to master waterbending."

It was...nicer than she expected. A bed was in one room with a soft saffron cover. One room had a television (all to herself!) and a plush looking couch and loveseat. There was a kitchen with a stove, refrigerator, microwave oven and toaster. However, Enkhtuya noticed the walls and parts of the floors were blank.

"We left some stuff open, in case you want to decorate."

"Thanks..."

The girl put her suitcase on the king sized bed. The bed stand had a copy of The History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks).

"In case you want to do some reading," Helena smiled, "But really, in case someone tries to look into you. You're already patriotic, so it shouldn't be too hard."

Enkhtuya nodded, delighted at finding her own mini altar in a side room next to a bookshelf. The little Buddha statue never seemed so welcoming before.

"Just make sure to have the vents open if you want to burn incense," Helena said, "Don't want to set off the fire alarm by accident. Also do you know how to use a fire extinguisher?"

"Um, in theory..."

"So, no. Here, let me show you."

After a brief lesson in fire safety, Helena handed Enkhtuya an envelope full of rubles. Her eyes widened at the amount of money inside.

"Decorate the place however you like. You're inside a self sufficient compound and no one can see you from outside, so cover it in lava lamps for all I care. Just don't spend it all in one place."

"Can my family send me anything?"

"Yes, to a point. No weapons, no illegal substances, the usual rules you find everywhere."

"So a yak hair rug is fine."

"Yup! We have someone sending mail information to them soon. Might even have gotten it. Oh, one last thing."

Helena went to a side table next to the couch and opened the drawer. She took out a phone. Her own phone!!!

Enkhtuya made a squeal of delight before hugging Helena.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

Helena laughed and patted the girl gently on her back.

"The council figured you'd react this way. The line is completely secure, and we have our own area code. So if you want to call home every now and then...just don't tie up the lines. International calls are expensive, even for us."

"I understand."

"Well, I'll let you get settled in. You start waterbending lessons on Monday, so you have today, Friday and the weekend to get a routine down. Just call us if you need anything; we're 185 on the phone system. The guidebook for the phone is in the drawer."

After saying their goodbyes, Helena left Enkhtuya alone. As soon as she did, the Avatar let out a long, loud sigh of exhaustion.

She faced her bed and let herself fall forward, landing with a loud "plomp" as she sank into the soft comforter. During her train ride, the White Lotus had given her a ridiculously book. It contained messages from world leaders and celebrities to the new Avatar, as well as a whole section of writing from the past Avatars to her. The last letter had been from her past life Avatar Deepak.

The original text was written in Hindi, but it had been translated into Mongolian for Enkhtuya.

"'If you're reading this, then I am dead and you are my reincarnation. I could go on and on about keeping balance in oneself before keeping balance in the world, but honestly that didn't help me. Here is what I wish my teachers had told me:

1) Don't go through your journey alone. Find friends.

2) Don't be too hard on yourself. Sure you're the Avatar, but you're also a 16 year old kid.

3) Don't forget to have a sense of humor.

4) Keep balanced priorities. As in don't let little things stress you out.

5) Love is hard when you're young, but it gets better.'"

Below that Deepak had written his name both in Hindi and English. There had been a few photos of him too. There was his official portrait (where his solemn expression appeared even more so due to his long face) but there were many candid photos of him. These Enkhtuya liked better. A picture of Deepak with his friends and his then fiancee Priya laughing, Deepak feeding a handsome beige cow, meeting a child Dalai Lama...

On other pages were information about the racism and xenophobia Deepak faced when he visited countries like Great Britain and the United States, and how he ended up cofounding an interfaith Yellow Lotus organization to combat said xenophobia.

This was Avatar Deepak's legacy. Enkhtuya wondered what her legacy would be. Turning to her side and curling up on the bed, Enkhtuya's thoughts eventually lulled her to sleep.

~

"My name is Roksana, but you will call me Instructor Utkin whenever we are in your lessons. Outside of them, you may call me Roksana as we are nearly the same age. I hope that we can become friends."

Roksana Utkin was a stocky Russian girl who mastered her art at the tender age of 12. She was serious but showed a softer gaze when she wished for a friendship between her and Enkhtuya. The Avatar liked her immediately.

Her blond hair in a braid going down her back, Roksana shifted into a stance. She lifted her arms to cause snow from the ground to melt and rise into the air between her palms.

"Can you copy that? I want to see if your problem element will be waterbending like it was for Avatar Deepak."

Enkhtuya copied Roksana's stance and lifted her arms like her teacher. The snow turned to water and rose to shift between her palms.

"Okay, that's good. How was that move for you? Was it hard?"

"No, it was easy."

"Hmm. It makes sense though. Air and water are similar. Both are constantly moving. Can you feel the water shifting?"

"Yes. I have to move my hands to keep the water afloat."

"That is the basis of waterbending, no matter what country it is practiced in. The push and pull of the water is in all of us, even if they can't bend. It's in our blood and in the clouds. The moon pulls the tides and we learned from it in times of antiquity. Even now, the best waterbenders study the moon and the tides."

"Did you?"

"Of course. A bender never stops studying their element."

"What about nonbenders? My little sister is one, you see..."

Roksana pulled Enkhtuya's water towards her and combined it with her own. She then pushed it towards the Mongolian girl, who immediately could tell the beginning of an exercise, as it reminded her of beginning lessons in airbending. They passed the water between themselves as they talked.

"Nonbenders are fortunate. In a way, they are most similar to you as the Avatar."

"Really?"

"They can relate to all of the elements, yet aren't bound by any one of them. They have been marginalized and oppressed, but even so they shape the energy inside themselves. My whole family is made up of nonbenders. I'm the only waterbender in generations."

Enkhtuya was silent as she looked at the silhouette of St. Basil's Cathedral just a few blocks away. To grow up a bender in a family of nonbenders...it was the opposite situation of her little sister Narantsetseg. She wondered if she and Roksana could meet one day. They certainly would have a lot to talk about even with the age gap, and Enkhtuya told Roksana so.

The blond smiled, her green eyes crinkling at the corners.

"I don't doubt it. Tell me, how is airbending compared to waterbending? You're the Avatar so you'd know best of all, no?"

"Air is...insubstantial. You kind of have to work around it. There's always a way to figure out a problem even if its not obvious. Its more like finding a loophole in a contract than the push and pull of waterbending."

"Sounds complicated. But you do divide airbending into 36 tiers."

"That's true. It took me 14 years to learn them all and get my tattoos."

"And yet they expect you to master waterbending within a few years. If there weren't millennias worth of oral and written record of the Avatar doing so thousands of times I'd think it an impossible task."

Enkhtuya laughed at the mental image of a scowling Roksana getting annoyed at an ancient, dusty tome and the water faltered between her fingers.

"Whoops!"

"I've got it."

Roksana pulled the water back towards her, then let it fall to the ground with a wet "plop".

"Let me show you some basic stances, since you understand the concept so well already. Are you paying attention?"

"Yes, Instructor Utkin," Enkhtuya replied, having been momentarily distracted by some birds on a feeder hanging in a tree nearby.

"Good. Birds may be the original airbenders, but we waterbenders have the moon and many, many species of fish as well as a few marine mammals. This first stance is based on the vast strength of the blue whale..."

~

During her time in Moscow, Enkhtuya did more than just train in waterbending. On April 10th, Helena took Enkhtuya to St. Basil's Cathedral for Easter Sunday. Even though Enkhtuya was a Buddhist, she wanted to learn what her mentor and friend believed.

Enkhtuya had been filled with awe and glee when seeing the inside of the beautiful cathedral. Icons everywhere, flowers blooming and people filling the place to bursting...it was so wonderful. Though she was not a Christian, she told Helena that her faith's culture was beautiful. The sense of love and belonging from the people reminded her of home.

Then on May 9th, Enkhtuya visited the Red Square. War veterans filled it as the city celebrated the anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945. Since Enkhtuya did the vast majority of her training in the White Lotus compound, she could display her tattoos during the warm weather.

Come October, there was a classical music festival. People from all over Russia came to perform, and Enkhtuya would practice waterbending as the sound of music echoed throughout the city.

This was when Enkhtuya brought a record player using some of the money Helena had given her. She brought several records from the festival and would meditate to the voices of the Pyatnitsky Russian Folk Chorus.

Thus, time went by. It was near the end of the second year that things changed.

Enkhtuya's time in Moscow was...tranquil. Her brother joined them about a month into her waterbending training which was a cause for celebration. Helena treated her, Roksana, and Arghun to dinner in one of Moscow's popular restaurants. This became a monthly pastime, and soon Arghun invited a nice young woman named Annemarie from the local library to join them. During one of these monthly outings, a new waitress came that changed Enkhtuya's entire world view. With brown hair and eyes, her freckles were scattered across her face in an appealing way. She was...cute. Really cute. Really, really cute.

Enkhtuya felt her whole face heat up, wondering what was wrong with her. She stammered out her order-why was she stammering? She never had a speech problem before-and remained out of sorts for the rest of the meal.

A few days after that, Enkhtuya had been in a bookstore looking for some light reading material. While in the adventure section, another girl-this one a redhead with blue eyes and a lanky frame-talked all friendly towards her. Enkhtuya replied kindly and was confused when the girl seemed almost disappointed as she left. Then of course, at 2:35 AM she figured out the bookstore employee had been flirting with her.

Spirits, she had been so clueless! The blushing, the stammering, the sudden fits of clumsiness and rushes of unexplainable joy...was this what people felt all the time? Why she had never felt this way before was obvious; the male sex clearly wasn't interesting to her in a...romantic way.

But girls...

Girls...

Girls were another story entirely.

Enkhtuya stifled a happy giggle and went back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold the gayby (gay baby) has figured herself out let us celebrate. Technically the day Enkhtuya figures she's gay is International Women's Day.


	6. Earthly Attachment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enkhtuya meets her forever girl.

"Mmm, cinnamon."

Enkhtuya closed her eyes as she took in the variety of aromas drifting through the cozy little cafe Annemarie had taken her to. The Avatar had been learning waterbending for three years now, and was becoming really good at it. Roksana said that Enkhtuya would need maybe another year of training before she became a master.

Since arriving in Moscow, Enkhtuya had gone from conversationally fluent in Russian to being as fluent in it as her native language of Mongolian. Since Russian was what was spoken all around her, it served as a surprise when she heard said native language from a table nearby.

She turned to see a middle aged woman with laugh lines nodding along to someone with extremely pale blond hair. The woman was clearly Mongolian just like Enkhtuya was. Trying to move to get a better view without drawing unwanted attention, the Avatar gave the barest of hellos to Roksana and Helena, who were joining them for a girls day out.

Just then, the woman excused herself to use the ladies room. The mysterious blonde was looking down at her purse, but then she lifted her head.

Enkhtuya felt like she'd been punched in the gut...if being punched in the gut was a good thing.

The young woman was around Enkhtuya's age. With pale blond hair falling past her shoulders, she had Mongolian facial features and sky blue eyes. Her full lips were slightly parted in a smile, and her ivory skin reminded the Avatar of the clouds in the sky. She was gorgeous.

"Enkhtuya?"

She heard nothing. For a beautiful, blissful moment it was just her and the mystery girl.

"Enkhtuya?"

Roksana, Helena and Annemarie had gone back to Enkhtuya's side trying to get her attention, to no avail.

The mystery girl tilted her head slightly to the side, looking as if she was about to laugh. Goodness, she had a beautiful smile.

"Pupil Enkhtuya?"

Enkhtuya giggled in a bit of a deranged manner, waving at the blond with a hand.

"That didn't work...Helena?"

"I got this."

The Swiss woman stepped right in front of Enkhtuya and tugged on one of the Avatar's ears.

"Ow! Helena, what did you do that for?"

The nonbender rolled her eyes and was about to say how she was trying to get Enkhtuya's attention, but then the girl the Avatar had been gaping at like a suffocating fish approached them.

"Hello," she said in perfect Mongolian with a laugh still in her blue eyes, "My name is Osol. I couldn't help but notice I got your attention earlier. What's your name?"

"This is Enkhtuya," Helena said for the Avatar's sake, who was now a brilliant shade of red, "She's an exchange student staying at the local White Lotus compound."

"She's very pleased to meet you," Annemarie continued, "And would love it if you would like to get to know her better...say, over coffee and cheesecake?"

"She is open on the weekends as well as on all major holidays," Roksana concluded, "Here is her phone number."

The waterbender scribbled on a spare page of her notepad and gave it to Osol who looked entirely too amused at the whole thing.

"Then you can tell Enkhtuya," she said, not failing to notice how the tattooed woman stiffened at the sound of her name, "that I would be delighted to meet her this Sunday at 13:00 in the afternoon. Here's my number."

Enkhtuya slowly came back to herself long after Osol and the other woman (clear at this point to be her mother as they had similar facial features) left into the snowy afternoon. She blinked several times, and blushed when she saw Roksana, Helena and Annemarie grinning at her.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

The three women stared at her then burst into giggles.

"Someone's got a case of puppy love," Annemarie sing songed, tucking a lock of red hair behind one freckled ear.

"We helped you out," Helena reassured though she kept smiling, "Look in your right coat pocket."

As soon as the words processed-Enkhtuya still felt a bit out of it-the Avatar reached into her pocket. A scrap of paper that Enkhtuya recognized from Roksana's notepad was in it, folded neatly. On it was unfamiliar yet legible handwriting. A name, and a series of numbers.

"'Osol-can't wait to see you on Sunday'...and there's a phone...number..."

She fell silent.

"I-is this-a...a date?"

"You're welcome."

Enkhtuya gulped, unsure whether to call the mix of feelings within her positive or negative.

"Um-I've never been on-on a d-date before..."

"Just be yourself," Annemarie said, before Roksana and Helena could give their input, "And don't panic."

"But I'm 19...and I've never...what will I wear...what will we talk about...uh..."

"Don't worry. You're intelligent, kind, attractive, and not to mention your status as the A-a master bender. You'll do fine."

Roksana, as pragmatic as always.

"...will you guys help me get ready?"

"Of course! This is your first date! And by the way," Helena leaned over and winked at Enkhtuya, "She's a knockout, good choice, kid!"

Enkhtuya buried her face in her hands to hide the uncontrollable smile spreading across her crimson face.

~

"Wish me luck," Enkhtuya had said before she departed the compound, clad in a new pair of bell bottom jeans and a cowl-neck sweater. Her hair was tamed for once; the usually wild locks of black hair were put into a braided bun at the back of her head. For her feet Enkhtuya wore a pair of brown furred boots that went well with the outfit.

It had been 5 hours.

By now, Arghun and his fiance Annemarie had joined a bored Roksana and Helena, having returned from their own date. The four of them were crowded around Enkhtuya's television, cycling through the same half dozen channels over and over. Enkhtuya's apartment was much more homey than when she'd first arrived in Moscow. A yak hair rug from her parents lay on the floor as one entered the foyer, while photos taken with a Polaroid the White Lotus had given her for her 18th birthday were on a bulletin board on the far wall.

Arghun stared at the photos with a deadpan expression. Narantsetseg's 12th birthday...Enkhtuya's horse Red having her first foal (a filly named Ruby)...their parents' 25th wedding anniversary, the day he and Annemarie announced their engagement...a lot had happened in just 3 short years.

"Where do you think she is now," Roksana asked, flipping through an issue of Literaturnaya Gazeta Enkhtuya had left on her living room table, "What if they ran into some trouble?"

"I'm sure they're fine," Helena replied, sipping from a cup of decaffeinated tea, "We sent White Lotus sentries to tail them. In plain clothes, of course."

"You people sent folk to tail my little sister and her date? Really?"

"White Lotus sentries tail her all the time. You and Annemarie, too. This country is...well. Its not the first nation the White Lotus has had...issues with. Plus they're your people too. You joined us around the same time your sister did, didn't you?"

Arghun seemed to deflate.

"Yeah, but..."

"I know," his fiancee said, crossing the room to place a hand on his shoulder, "Its scary to think about."

"You could say that again."

Roksana scowled as the overall atmosphere grew solemn.

"Come on, you lot! Lets not get all mopey. Enkhtuya wouldn't like it if she came home from a great date and found us all like this!"

"But what if she hasn't had a great date? Or even a good one?"

Arghun gasped dramatically.

"What if her date...was an enemy?"

"An enemy? What do you mean?"

"I don't know...like, an international spy...or a Red Lotus member...or a ninja?"

"A ninja."

"Oh, oh," Annemarie began to laugh, "what if the date was an alien in disguise?"

Roksana laughed, snorting into her magazine.

"That's what I'd call far out," Arghun quipped, and the whole group burst into laughter again. It was this joyous room that Enkhtuya entered, a smile on her own face. It only grew larger when she saw her extended family and friends laughing.

"What's so funny?"

The four looked at the Avatar then began laughing anew.

Later that night, Enkhtuya was alone in her bed. She was allowing herself to slowly drift off as she thought of the day's events. She had met Osol at the little cafe they'd agreed upon. They had had a wonderful time talking about each other's families and what they were doing in Moscow. Osol's mother (who Enkhtuya had seen a few days before) worked at the local embassy as a diplomat. She had met Osol's father on an assignment here, and they settled down to focus on desk work and to raise Osol and her younger brother Mikhail.

Enkhtuya told Osol her cover story of being an exchange student and cultural educator, and they exchanged book lists. Then they ended up spending the rest of their time in the local bookstore. Enkhtuya had been a lady (and Avatar) by walking Osol back to her house just a few blocks away. 

The day had gone by all too fast, and honestly it felt like Enkhtuya had ascended to a kind of paradise reflection of the world. Osol and she had decided to see each other again the nearest Friday, and then after that...who knew?

~

Six months later, Enkhtuya had Osol on her arm as her and Osol's respective families (as well as several hundred more people) entered the Bolshoi Theater. The Ballet company was showing a rendition of Marius Petipa's The Seasons. As her family had been in town, Helena had suggested everyone go out for a night at the world famous theater.

Enkhtuya had on the traditional airbender robes of her people, as did her parents, brother and little sister. Her new sister in law, however, had on an emerald green evening gown to denote her status as an earthbender and being Irish. Osol had on a form fitting black gown that shimmered with tiny rhinestones so it looked like she was wearing the night sky. Enkhtuya noticed several people of both genders shooting double takes at her girlfriend. Unfortunately, she couldn't kiss her in front of all these people.

Despite her and Osol's love for each other, it wouldn't exactly be safe for two women to show such...affections towards one another. Personally, Enkhtuya hated it. But it couldn't be helped. Osol was already vulnerable due to being close to her, let alone being known publically as a...a lesbian, that was the word for it. A woman that loved other women instead of men.

"May I take your coat, miss? Or that of your...sister?"

"She's just a friend," Osol lied smoothly, her smile stunning the coatman into awed silence, "And thank you."

She slipped the man a few rubles as well as her and Enkhtuya's coats before they headed inside. As always, her girlfriend made Enkhtuya's thoughts stop and rewind themselves like a video tape. Osol was actually offered modeling contracts all the time, but she always turned them down.

Due to their connections to the White Lotus, Helena had gotten them all premium box seats high above the stage. Enkhtuya, Osol, Narantsetseg, Helena, Arghun and Annemarie took one box, while their respective parents, Roksana and young Mikhail took another.

"Did you get the opera glasses?"

"Mmhmm. Here."

"Thanks."

They waited for around fifteen minutes before the lights began to go down. The curtains lifted, and the stage revealed a snowy landscape. Dancers-representing Winter, Hoar-frost, Ice, Snow and Hail, according to the program-began to move across the stage as delicate music echoed throughout the large room.

For awhile, Enkhtuya was lost in the show playing in front of her. She honestly didn't know much about ballet, but she instantly appreciated the training that must've gone into these dancers routines. She had no idea the human body was so flexible! The company was made up of both benders and nonbenders, and each individual's talent was used for the betterment of all. No one had too much attention, not even the leads.

Soon, two dancers dressed as gnomes joined them and lit a fire that caused all the winter folk to vanish. The next scene was spring themed. Springtime danced with Zephyr, flower fairies, and enchanted birds. As one daisy leapt across the stage, Enkhtuya felt Osol hold her hand. Smiling, she squeezed it back as they continued to enjoy the show.

Eventually though, Enkhtuya felt her body calling for her to use the restroom.

"I'll be right back," Enkhtuya whispered to her girlfriend, "Tell me if I miss anything."

Enkhtuya went to the rest room, only briefly bumping into a young man in a formal suit.

"Sorry," she said, distracted. She shouldn't have passed up on using the restroom before they left the compound. The young woman went into the ladies room and then soon emerged, still wiping her hands with a paper towel.

"Osol? What are you doing here?"

"I have to go, too," the blond chuckled before heading into the restroom, "Be right back."

Enkhtuya waited for her girlfriend, leaning against a wall. The music had changed, becoming full of energy. She recalled the show program had said the seasons had gone in Avatar order-winter, spring, summer and then fall. The music playing must have been for summer. Enkhtuya closed her eyes and let the notes sink into her soul.

"Enkhtuya? You ready to go back?"

"Yeah."

Osol smiled at her, and she felt something in her melt in affection.

"Hold on."

"What is it?"

Enkhtuya bit her lip.

"There's...something I've been wanting to tell you."

"What is it?"

Just a few rooms down, dancers dressed as Corn and Naiads and flowers and Zephyrs danced with Satyrs and Fauns. The hallway was empty of all but the two women, and Enkhtuya moved closer. Her face felt warm.

"We should find somewhere more...secluded. There'll be an intermission soon, right?"

"I think so."

Enkhtuya nodded, and took Osol's hand. She found a small alcove just large enough to fit the two of them. It was in a corner, and their backs were against a wall so no one could sneak up on them.

"What did you want to tell me?"

Enkhtuya steeled herself for the worst. She had no idea how Osol would react.

"Osol...I'm..."

She lifted a hand to brush Osol's soft cheek and leaned closer. But instead of kissing her, the airbender went to whisper in her ear. A few of blond hairs tickled the Avatar's nose.

Osol's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. Enkhtuya had leaned away, and only now Osol saw that the small droplets of sweat trailing down the back of her neck were gone. They were spinning above one of Enkhtuya's palms.

"Please don't tell anyone," the Avatar begged, "Please. I...I really like you, Osol...and I...I thought you should know..."

Enkhtuya looked up at Osol, who had closed her mouth but seemed to be wrestling with a maelstrom of emotions.

"Osol?"

"Enkhtuya..."

"Yes?"

Osol paused, before she cupped her girlfriend's face between her hands and kissed her.

Enkhtuya melted into the kiss as relief swept over her so strongly she nearly wept. They parted, their breaths warming the air between them.

"Does this make me your forever girl?"

Enkhtuya blushed; the term Avatar Deepak had used for his wife Priya was famous. Some variation of it had been used by Avatars for millennia.

"I suppose it does."

Osol and Enkhtuya giggled before they kissed again.

"We should get going. I hear people moving around."

"I know. The music's stopped too."

Quickly making sure they both looked presentable, the two young women exited the alcove just before people began appearing from around the corner.

After the intermission ended, the play continued with all four seasons dancing in an autumn forest. Enkhtuya had begun to get ready to go but Narantsetseg stopped her.

"Its not over yet," the twelve year old told her," Look."

Enkhtuya turned back to the stage and gasped as it became a star filled sky. The dance wasn't nearly as long as the others, but it was easily the most beautiful. All four bending arts as well as nonbending dances were performed, and Enkhtuya understood why this section was called 'apotheosis'.

"I love you."

Enkhtuya's head snapped over to her girlfriend. Osol's eyes were focused on the stage below, but she was smiling. Their eyes met.

"I love you, too."


End file.
